Gifts From An Old Man #1 - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 1,663
wheatiefan Pillar of the Community United States 507 Posts	Posted 07/30/2013 10:52 pm I received these from an older gentleman I barely knew about 2-3 years ago. I though I'd share them. From what I gather, he was in WWII in Central/South America. They came in a metal container about the size of a soap dish. If anyone knows exactly what it is, I'd like to know: There were a few low value bills, and most of them were written on. There were a lot of low value coins from places like Ecuador, Panama, and Peru. I'd never seen coins like this before where the year is written out - as in "One Thousand Nine Hundred and Forty-Two": There were a couple of pressed pennies. I like this one because you can clearly see the year: There were a few silver coins. At the time I figured $30-50 worth, but like I said that was a few years ago: I'm quite interested in this medallion/charm. It's clearly related to the US Navy but if anyone can tell me more I'm all ears. I'm particularly interested in the hearts: It was quite a nice gift and very much appreciated. I might dispose of the notes and low value coins, but will keep the rest as part of my permanent collection. -wheatiefan Report this Post to the Staff

chequer Pillar of the Community Canada 4227 Posts	Posted 07/30/2013 11:01 pm Definitely keepers! Some nice silver coins there and that pressed penny is a nice one. Report this Post to the Staff
publius Pillar of the Community United States 807 Posts	Posted 07/30/2013 11:06 pm Well, the religious medal identifies him as a Roman Catholic. Very standard type, Immaculate Conception obverse with Lourdes prayer (although the surround is interesting), Miraculous Medal reverse, but the two-part construction with USN back is something I haven't seen before. The "hearts" are the Sacred Heart of Jesus, encircled by a crown of thorns & with flames coming from it, & the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also afire & pierced with a sword for the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin. If I may, I will plug here An Introduction to European Religious Medals, by Bob Forrest, published by Numismatics International. The notes which you say are "written on" may actually have some value for that reason. Do they appear to have been taped end-to-end to form a "short snorter"? Report this Post to the Staff
fioti Pillar of the Community United States 4212 Posts	Posted 07/31/2013 07:59 am 1st is a 1942 Peru piece, possibly 10 centavos. The ONLY country to spell the date. This sub-type was minted in the U.S; as well as Lima. This is the Lima piece. The US one is spelled cuarenda (sp) y dos. 2nd, nice elong. cent. 3rd is 1943 5 sucres from Ecuador. We (my family) call it the Cosmo Kramer coin. 4th is a nice '31 baboa from Panamo. Nice old man. Edited by fioti 07/31/2013 08:04 am Report this Post to the Staff
Nevol Formerly nancyc Australia 5385 Posts	Posted 07/31/2013 08:14 am Check the writing on the notes as they may be what's known as 'short snorters'. Something soldiers did during the war was sign their names and maybe more on banknotes, probably to keep as mementos. If you google WWII Short Snorter, you'll get many explanations of how they came about. life is a mystery to be lived not a problem to be solved Report this Post to the Staff
wheatiefan Pillar of the Community United States 507 Posts	Posted 08/09/2013 10:39 am I realized it was a catholic medal due to Mary, but had never seen the hearts or understood what they symbolized. I had to look up 'Miraculous Medal' to understand the rest. I assume it's silver but don't know for sure. The notes have some writing like "1 peso = 30 cents" which is just a reminder of the value at the time. They are not short snorters. It is interesting that Peru is the only country that spelled out dates like this. I There were several from the 1910s to 1940s. Not speaking any Spanish I had to look up every date. There were some of the American mis-spelt coins included. Thanks for the info, -wheatiefan Report this Post to the Staff
52Raymo Pillar of the Community United States 8516 Posts	Posted 08/09/2013 12:42 pm Love that 43 Ecuador and I'm gonna try and snag one. Oregon coin geek.....* GO BEAVS ! ! ! * Report this Post to the Staff
Buddy Rest in Peace United States 7075 Posts	Posted 08/09/2013 3:26 pm Thanks for sharing. If the man who gave you the collection knew you were a collector, then I assume that he wanted his keepsakes to have a new safe home. So, I am glad that you have them. Even if you decide not to keep it all, at least it won't end up in a dumpster. Is there any mark on the bottom of the tin? I'm curious about that too. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 7 / Views: 1,663

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